The Fall of Arthur Pendragon
by morganafreya
Summary: The fall of Arthur and his Knights, and what happened afterward.


also on ao3.

* * *

The Last Battle of Arthur Against The Saxons.

 **I.**

This is the fall of the knights of Arthur.

THE first to fall is Gwaine, the youngest and the most beloved of Arthur's Knights,

The fairest and the gayest of them all.

An enemy sword passes clean through him and he is dead before he hits the ground.

The second to fall is Percival.

A roar tears itself from his lips as he races across the battlefield, to cradle his fallen friend, too late, in his arms.

An arrow makes it's home in his heart, piercing him from behind,

And he passes beyond without feeling a single thing.

The third to fall is Elyan, but he is not mortally wounded

And is dragged from the fields by his own sister, weeping.

Lancelot falls the fourth, and he dies in the mud.

Arthur finds him, face down, and allows himself to weep for a true friend.

Galahad falls the fifth, and Bedivere the sixth, and then Gaheris, and then Tristan,

Whose death leaves Iseult bitter and bereft.

Yet, reckless as she becomes, she does not fall.

Not today. Not on this battlefield.

Last of all to fall is Leon, Arthur's First Knight, and the King's most beloved.

He is most mourned of all of his knights,

The truest of his friends, the last.

So was the fall of the knights of Arthur, truest and most courageous of all knights that have ever walked this earth.

 **II.**

This is the fall of Arthur.

ON the last day of the battle, when it seems it has been won,

Arthur falls, a dragon blade in his heart.

When he next opens his eyes the light is low and the few that are left to him are by his side.

His brother Kay is closest to him and his eyes are red from weeping.

Arthur takes his hand and pulls him low, whispering his commands.

His beloveds, Guinevere, Queen of his country and his heart,

And Merlin, dearest, most beloved, friend, and companion, loyal and truehearted,

Shall rule side by side until they pass on to Annwn.

Kay shall take his place by their side, noblest and truest of Arthur's remaining knights,

And he will command the rest.

The magic ban shall be repealed for it has caused much grief

And his sister shall be forgiven,

And she shall be given a home in Camelot if she so wishes it

And she shall be given whatsoever it is she desires if it is within reason,

And she shall be treated with utmost respect, as she deserves.

With these words, he sleeps again.

THE ride back to Camelot is painful and long,

And when they reach the castle the Lady Morgan Le Fay is there already, pale and stricken.

She has had a dream of his death, it is written on her face.

She rushes to Arthur's side, and Sir Kay waves back the knights who rush to stop her.

She falls to her knees beside him and weeps bitter tears,

Saying this:

"We have wasted much of our time being bitter enemies

When we should have been the most beloved of friends,

And I swear I will not let you die today.

Not here. Not now."

Finishing thus, she presses her hands to his chest, where blood still spills steadily,

And begins to whisper frantic words of healing.

Gentle blue light spills from her palms,

And spreads over the wound,

Before seeping into it.

The wound closes momentarily, before splitting open again.

The Lady Morgan lets loose an earsplitting howl,

And Arthur takes her hand in his.

Once, they had been young and gay and free

And had run and hidden in the courtyard,

And in the fields outside of the palace walls.

They had played together and learned together, won and lost together,

And now they faced each other at the end,

in the courtyard that was their childhood haunt.

So Arthur said this to her, a trembling smile on his face:

"It is too late for me, for death has claimed me long before we met here,

But for you, it is just beginning.

I give to you the easterly tower,

That you may look to the sun each morning,

And a place at the round table beside my beloveds and brother.

Know that I have loved you greatly,

Even when you wished me harm,

And I would not wish any sorrow on you,

And that any who visit it upon you shall feel my wrath

Even from beyond my grave

For you are my most beloved sister, and dearest of all to my heart."

And with those words, he passed on into the next,

And all those who were there on that day wept

At the loss of the greatest king they had ever known,

And an even dearer friend and lover and brother.

So was the fall of Arthur, king of Camelot and of great Albion, future, and past.

An Epilogue To An Otherwise Sad Tale.

 **III.**

This is the rise of Camelot.

THE first new knight of round table since the passing of Arthur and his knights was Sir Iseult.

She was named the Lady of the northern sea, and given a castle at its coast.

The Lady Morgan went with her

For they had become close in the years that had passed,

And it was too painful for her to stay where Arthur had once been

And was no longer.

A small group made up of their closest friends saw them off,

which included the Queen and the late king's brother, and Sir Kay's beloved,

Who was also the Queen's brother.

The wizard Merlin was not there,

But he was waiting for them at the gate.

He whispered a blessing over both of them and his eyes flashed gold

And they felt the spell ripple over them, warm and inviting, like summer rays

Or a winter fire.

Then he said this:

"I have offered my companionship to you once, and I will offer it again,

For the road before you is long and more treacherous than you could imagine."

But the Lady Morgan placed her hand over his,

And shaking her head said this:

"I have seen the troubles we will face,

And I know we must face them alone.

After all, you have a kingdom to run and a queen to look after,

And besides that,

We have not been friends for many long years."

The wizard flushed darkly, but did not deny her words

Although he seemed filled with regret.

Instead of protesting again, he bid them both farewell

And placed a tender kiss on each of their foreheads,

And they rode into the dying sun.

They did not look back. Not even once.

IT so happened in the spring of the seventh year of their rule,

Queen Guinevere became dear friends with another queen,

The lovely Mithian.

They were seen often together,

giggling and holding hands as if they were still young,

And it was no surprise when they were announced to be married.

Theirs was no epic romance, but sweet and tender,

Something bright after long years of darkness.

So the two kingdoms were joined and there was much joy throughout the land.

NOT much long afterward

Sir Kay and Sir Elyan were bound in a simple ceremony,

And they lived together for the rest of their days.

THERE were many more wars,

But none so terrible as the one with the Saxons,

And for the most part, the citizens of Camelot lived peacefully until the end of their days.

THE wizard Merlin found an orphaned child not long after the death of Arthur,

And he took her on as his apprentice,

And she was named Nimueh, after the great witch,

And she was named the successor to the throne,

And was much loved by all the court.

THE rulers Queen Guinevere and the wizard Merlin

Died on a sunny autumn day, lying side by side,

Surrounded by all they loved.

Even though Sir Iseult and Lady Morgan were growing old

And the journey was long and hard,

They came to be by their side

At the end of their days.

Sirs Kay and Elyan perhaps wept the greatest

For Guinevere and Merlin were the last of their family,

But Guinevere told them not to weep.

"It has long been my time,"

She said, smiling, her eyes seeing far past the mortal world,

"And I shall at last join my beloveds in Annwn,

And rest my body, which has become weary with age."

Merlin grunted his agreement

And they took each other's hands

And passed on into the next

And into their beloveds' arms.

And all who loved them wept,

But did not remain sorrowful for long,

And soon turned to celebrating the long life they had led.

And so was the rise of Camelot, and it was a great and powerful kingdom for many more centuries after that.

* * *

¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


End file.
